The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1887-02-25

One of the pleasantest and best of the
minor places among the employees ot
bio hotel Is the linen room woman s. She
is a subordinate of the housekecper, nut
her pay-which ranges from TO ~
MONTHS reasonably good; her duties
are clearly defined and not onerous' hyi
responsibility is small, and her wo5A
is done under rather pleasant cohui-
tons. ill.,.
An the soied sheets, towels, pillow
cases, bed spreads, and other articles
that must 90 10 the laundry arc trst car
RED 10 the housekeeper. who takes &C
curate count of them. When they come
hack clean they are counted again, ana
then such of them as need repairing pass
info the hands Of the assistant house
kcener or linen room woman, who with
thread and needle or sewing machine
fixes them up as neatly as possible There
IL a GREAT deal of this work IN hotel
That has been running for any length oil
time. especially if it Is house DONG
Toinlv a transient business. Washing
DESTROYS the linen much more than wear
inc does. and the destruction OF linen
in a house like the Buckingham or Lang
ham-where the guests belong almost
entirely to the permanent class, OF o slalll
ers and the beds are not changed oitehel
than twice weeks very much lcss
than in the Astor, where the changes arc
,nade nc often as the rooms arc vacated,
which in n transient business may Occur
everv day On an average the destruc
~ If he'd linen amounts to about y
,er cent ner annum. The loss on nap
t-ins omaunts to 20 or 40 per cent, a
many of them are stolen or mysterious.
d;sa1near. The wear and tear on bian
EetsEwhich arc supposed to be wasne'
nnIy once a vear-is small, and they ia'
n long time. Shaking, airing, ana sun
ning Them presumably keeps them clea
and wears them littl'. Then they ar
onIv in use q few months, while tn
sheets. pillow cases, and spreads arc |
, service all the time. Primarily III III
selection of blankets hotel men arc @
ceeding careful to practice the true eeoi
omv of getting articles that Will wea
cvcn If their first cost is rather heaVl
, Tho blankets. as well a the linen, are
. CHARGE of the linen room woman
The dealing out of clean linen, etc,
! the cbambermaids for the rooms is nom
! nnlly done by the housekeeper, but
, nractice 1t is the linen room woman WI
5 lakes the articles from their places on q
r long shelves where they are piled alt
coming from tine laundry, and kee.
n count Of what arc given out. -,
Nonkins pass through other hand
C The head walters in the dining rooi
n restaurant, and lunch room-where |
d. latter exists-are required to keep cou
o of them when they go to the lau9Il
v and again to take stock of them wa
they are returned. In good hotels ma
|, kius are seldom mended, but when u
lie have holes worn in them by washing,
st become frayed and torn, they are d
carded from public service and pass
= ether uses. Hence they rarely get II
s. the linen room woman's hands.
. srfIcr arrehtf5n Is 6nsffeesmlfafs9e g sa ti
~ are likely to make her occupancy of (
Vi place permanency dependent upon
own choice, and changes in this depa
II ment are rarer than in any other. I
&c housekeeper gets from $40 to $50
Is month, but her responsibility is mu
u greater than that of the linen room "
;, man. Greater executive ability is
II manded Of her. and the probabilities
her more active and ambitious mil
leading her TO seek changes to better hi
II self are much greater than in the case
the linen room woman, who Is general
;, a staid, middle-aged widow, of cas-
contented disposition. 1t is very seldo
: that the latter rises to the place OF Il
u former, even when vacancy occur
y One of the leading uptown hotels has
c linen room woman who has placid
held her place and seen housckeepe
come and go, and even proprietorshi
change, during twenty years.-Neo 70,